Due to savings, there is a risk of the cancellation of more Czech Centers

Prague - Due to budget cuts, the closure of some more branches of Czech Centers, which promote the country and its culture abroad, is threatened. For next year, they will receive at least ten percent less funding than this year. The centers fall under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the upcoming year, they are tentatively counting on 80 million crowns, but this amount may not be final.
    "It is possible that it could ultimately be even lower. Considering the amount of funding for next year, we cannot rule out potential closures of some foreign branches of Czech Centers," said Jiří Rosenkranz, spokesman for the centers, today to ČTK. According to him, job cuts and salary reductions are also not ruled out. This March, the center in Dresden already closed. In previous years, the budget of the centers exceeded one hundred million.
    Currently, 24 branches operate in 21 countries across three continents. For instance, the non-European centers are located in the USA, Japan, Argentina, and Israel. The mission of the centers is to develop dialogue with foreign audiences in culture, education, commerce, and tourism, thereby co-creating the image of the Czech Republic as a modern and dynamic country.
    Rosenkranz stated that some of the removed funds could help cover more contributions from sponsors and partners of events organized by the centers. The leadership of the centers will further discuss the budget for next year. Any potential branch closures would need to be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also plans to close about six embassies or consulates this year.
    The budget of the Czech Centers has been drastically reduced recently. While in 2008 the institution received 114.5 million crowns from the ministry for its activities, last year it was 117.7 million, and this year around 91 million.
    Last year, the centers organized over 3000 events for 3.5 million spectators. In 2008, they held over 2000 events for about 1.6 million visitors. The number of events increased in the past year due to the Czech presidency in the EU. This year, the centers have held about 1300 events so far. For example, the branch in the USA is headed by a former successful director of the Prague Zoo, Petr Fejk. In Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD), he stated that he has not yet succeeded in pushing through his vision for the functioning of the center.